The present invention relates to a data processing apparatus and a data processing method.
In a conventional editing apparatus for editing video or audio data (called AV data hereunder), AV data are reproduced by at least one VTR (video tape recorder) for use as material to be edited (the reproduced AV data are called material data hereunder). After being edited, the material data are sent to and recorded by another VTR, whereby a complete package of AV data is produced (hereunder, called complete package data where appropriate).
The above-outlined editing which involves recording and reproducing AV data to and from tape-like storage media is called linear editing. On the other hand, recent years have witnessed the burgeoning of another kind of editing called nonlinear editing using disc-like storage media such as optical and magnetic discs. The new kind of editing has been made possible by the growing storage capacities and progressively dropping prices of these disc media.
Conventionally, whether the editing setup is designed for linear or nonlinear editing using tape or disc-like storage media respectively, the AV data are transferred synchronously between the recording/reproducing apparatuses for reproducing and recording AV data to and from the storage media on the one hand, and the editing apparatus on the other hand.
More specifically, the editing apparatus needs to synchronize with a recording/reproducing apparatus reproducing material data from a medium in order to search for in-points and out-points within the material data and to perform desired effects onto the data. The editing apparatus also needs to synchronize with another recording/reproducing apparatus which records the edited material data from the editing apparatus as complete package data.
It follows that even if the editing apparatus is capable of high-speed processing of AV data, the overall processing speed is restricted by the recording/reproducing apparatuses which, in reproducing unedited material data and recording the edited material data, may be operating at a significantly lower speed than the editing apparatus. Conversely, if the recording/reproducing apparatuses for reproducing unedited material data and recording the edited material data are capable of high-speed AV data processing, the overall processing speed is still limited by an editing apparatus working at an appreciably lower speed. Either way, it takes an inordinately long time to edit the AV data.